Human interleukin-4 antagonist/agonist screens

ABSTRACT

Stably-transformed human cell lines containing a reporter gene operatively linked to an IL-4-responsive element are provided. In some embodiments a human Fc.sub.ε RII IL-4-responsive element is used. In other embodiments a human germline ε transcript promoter is used as the responsive element. Also provided are methods for using such transformed cell lines to screen for agonists and/or antagonists of human interleukin-4.

This is a division of U.S. Application Ser. No. 08/070,162, filed May28, 1993, which in turn is a continuation-in-part of U.S. ApplicationSer. No. 07/869,914 filed Apr. 16, 1992 now abandoned, which is acontinuation-in-part of Ser. No. 07/770,081, filed Oct. 3, 1991, nowabandoned.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to stably-transformed human cell linescontaining a reporter gene operatively linked to a promoter comprisingan interleukin-4-responsive element. Among the responsive elements thatcan be used are the human Fc.sub.ε RII (CD23) interleukin-4-responsiveelement and the germline epsilon transcript promoter. This inventionalso relates to methods for the use of such transformed cell lines toidentify agonists and/or antagonists of human interleukin-4.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Interleukin-4 (IL-4) is a protein which affects a broad spectrum ofhematopoietic cells Strober et al., Pediatr. Res. 24:549 (1988)!. IL-4enhances a number of activities including macrophage function, IgG4 andIgE production, and the proliferation of immunoglobulin-stimulated Bcells, antigen-stimulated T cells and erythropoietin-stimulated redblood cell progenitors. It also increases the proliferation ofIL-3-stimulated mast cells.

Together with IgE, mast cells play a central role in allergic reactions.Mast cells are granule-containing connective tissue cells which arelocated proximally to capillaries throughout the body, with especiallyhigh concentrations in the lungs, skin and gastrointestinal andgenitourinary tracts. Following exposure to an antigenic substance, mastcells degranulate and release chemical mediators such as histamine,serotonin, heparin, prostaglandins etc. to produce an allergic reaction.

The Fc.sub.ε receptor II (Fc.sub.ε RII) functions in B celldifferentiation and in IgE-mediated immunity. It is the low affinityreceptor (10⁷ -10⁸ /M) for the Fc portion of IgE and is positioned withits amino terminus in the cytoplasm and its carboxyl terminus outsidethe cell Kikutani et al., Cell 47:657 (1986)!. Fc.sub.ε RII, also knownas CD23 antigen, is a B cell-specific differentiation antigen restrictedto mature B cells expressing IgM/IgD. Fc.sub.ε RII is not found onimmature bone marrow B cells, suggesting that it might be involved inthe regulation of growth or differentiation of B cells.

An important role for Fc.sub.ε RII in allergic reactions and immunity toparasitic infection has also been suggested, because it is present oncertain populations of eosinophils and monocytes. Furthermore,interleukin-4 (IL-4), which is known to be responsible for the isotypeswitching of B cells to IgE, has been shown to induce Fc.sub.ε RIIexpression on B cells Defrance et al., J. Exp. Med. 165:1459 (1987)!,monocytes Vercelli et al., J. Exp. Med. 167:1406 (1988)!, and Burkitt'slymphoma cell lines Rousset et al., J. Immunol. 140:2625 (1988)!. Thebiological significance of CD23 induction on human B cells by IL-4remains to be determined, but it has been indicated that truncated formsof CD23 can be secreted and can act as an IgE binding factor, whichmight be involved in the IgE-mediated immunity.

The induction of CD23 surface expression on human B and Burkitt'slymphoma (BL) cell lines by IL-4 is correlated with enhancedtranscription of the specific mRNA (Rousset et al., supra). The specificpromoter regulatory element for the IL-4 induction of CD23 expression inJijoye cells (a BL cell line) has been defined by transiently expressingfusion genes with different portions of the CD23 promoter linked to achloramphenicol acetyl transferase (CAT) reporter gene Suter et al., J.Immunol. 143:3087 (1989)!. The genomic DNA element responsible for IL-4induction of CD23 expression was located within the first 250 bp 5' ofthe transcription initiation start site.

Human IL-4 induction of this DNA element of CD23 linked to a CATreporter gene in the transient expression system was about 2 fold. Todate, this transient study appears to be the only one using a reportergene for evaluating CD23 regulation by human IL-4. Most of the studiesregarding CD23 expression have used indirect immunofluorescence stainingof the Fc.sub.ε RII protein.

The effector function of antibody molecules is determined by theconstant region of the immunoglobulin (Ig) heavy chain (C_(H)).Antibodies retain their specificity while their effector functions arechanged by isotype switching at the DNA level.

In vitro studies using murine B cell lines indicate that Ig classswitching is preceded by expression of the corresponding germline C_(H)gene Stavnezer et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 85:7704 (1988)!. In invitro studies of human B cells also, it has been shown that germlineepsilon (ε) transcript synthesis precedes and is required for subsequentε switching and IgE production Gauchat et al., J. Exp. Med. 172:463(1990)!.

Rothman et al. Mol. Cell. Biol. 11:5551 (1991)! have shown thatinduction of germline ε sequence transcription in an Abelson murineleukemia virus-transformed pre-B cell line is under the control of anIL-4-responsive element located at the promoter of germline εtranscripts. IL-4 is one of only two cytokines that are presently knownto specifically induce germline ε sequence transcription.

Recent studies have shown that human germline ε RNA comprises, inaddition to the Cε exons Qiu et al., Eur. J. Immunol. 20:2191 (1990)!, agermline ε exon located 3.5 kilobases upstream from Cε Gauchat et al.,supra; Jabara et al., J. Immunol. 145:3468 (1990)! and 5' from Sε.Synthesis of this RNA in highly purified normal B cells (Gauchat et al.,supra; Jabara et al., supra) and in EBV transformed human B cells(Jabara et al., supra) or Burkitt's lymphoma cells can be induced byIL-4.

Because of the stimulatory effects of IL-4 on IgE production and mastcell proliferation, antagonists of IL-4 may be useful for the treatmentof allergies by decreasing mast cell growth and IgE production.Increasing evidence suggests, however, that IL-4 may also havebeneficial therapeutic applications see, e.g., Tepper et al., Cell57:503 (1989)!. There is thus a need to identify both antagonists andagonists of IL-4.

The search for such agonists and antagonists would be facilitated by theavailability of fast and effective in vitro screening systems.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention fills this need by providing materials and methodsfor such screening.

More particularly, this invention provides human cell lines which havebeen stably transformed by a recombinant vector comprising a reportergene operatively linked to a promoter comprising a human Fc.sub.ε RIIIL-4-responsive element, which element has a nucleotide sequence definedby a subsequence of the sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1 and is delimited at the5' end by one of bases 1 to 298 and at the 3' end by one of bases 507 to678 of the sequence defined by SEQ ID NO: 1.

This invention further provides human cell lines which have been stablytransformed by a recombinant vector comprising a reporter geneoperatively linked to a human germline ε transcript promoter, andrecombinant vectors that can be used to make such stably transformedcell lines.

This invention still further provides methods for detecting human IL-4agonists in samples comprising:

(a) providing a human cell line which has been stably transformed by arecombinant vector comprising a reporter gene operatively linked to apromoter comprising a human Fc.sub.ε RII IL-4-responsive element, whichelement has a nucleotide sequence defined by a subsequence of thesequence of SEQ ID NO: 1 and is delimited at the 5' end by one of bases1 to 298 and at the 3' end by one of bases 507 to 678 of the sequencedefined by SEQ ID NO: 1;

(b) contacting the transformed cell line with a sample suspected tocontain a human IL-4 agonist, under conditions in which human IL-4 wouldcause increased expression of the reporter gene; and

(c) measuring the level of expression of the reporter gene,

whereby the presence of a human IL-4 agonist in the sample is detectedby measurement of an increased level of expression of the reporter gene,compared to the level produced in the absence of such agonist.

This invention still further provides methods for detecting human IL-4antagonists in samples comprising:

(a) providing a human cell line which has been stably transformed by arecombinant vector comprising a reporter gene operatively linked to apromoter comprising a human Fc.sub.ε RII IL-4-responsive element, whichelement has a nucleotide sequence defined by a subsequence of thesequence of SEQ ID NO: 1 and is delimited at the 5' end by one of bases1 to 298 and at the 3' end by one of bases 507 to 678 of the sequencedefined by SEQ ID NO: 1;

(b) contacting the transformed cell line with a sample suspected tocontain a human IL-4 antagonist, to which has been added an amount ofhuman IL-4 that, absent such antagonist, would produce a measurableincrease in expression of the reporter gene; and

(c) measuring the level of expression of the reporter gene,

whereby the presence of a human IL-4 antagonist in the sample isdetected by measurement of a decreased level of expression of thereporter gene, compared to the level produced by the human IL-4 in theabsence of such antagonist.

The present invention still further provides methods for detecting humanIL-4 agonists in samples comprising:

(a) providing a human cell line which has been stably transformed by arecombinant vector comprising a reporter gene operatively linked to ahuman germline ε transcript promoter;

(b) contacting the transformed cell line with a sample suspected tocontain a human IL-4 agonist, under conditions in which human IL-4 wouldcause increased expression of the reporter gene; and

(c) measuring the level of expression of the reporter gene,

whereby the presence of a human IL-4 agonist in the sample is detectedby measurement of an increased level of expression of the reporter gene,compared to the level produced in the absence of such agonist.

This invention still further provides methods for detecting human IL-4antagonists in samples comprising:

(a) providing a human cell line which has been stably transformed by arecombinant vector comprising a reporter gene operatively linked to ahuman germline ε transcript promoter;

(b) contacting the transformed cell line with a sample suspected tocontain a human IL-4 antagonist, to which has been added an amount ofhuman IL-4 that, absent such antagonist, would produce a measurableincrease in expression of the reporter gene; and

(c) measuring the level of expression of the reporter gene,

whereby the presence of a human IL-4 antagonist in the sample isdetected by measurement of a decreased level of expression of thereporter gene, compared to the level produced by the human IL-4 in theabsence of such antagonist.

Preferably, the germline ε transcript promoter used in the vectors andmethods of the invention comprises DNA having a nucleotide sequencedefined by the sequence of bases 7 to 587 of SEQ ID NO: 2.

It is also preferred that the methods employing the human germline εtranscript promoter be carried out in the presence of anti-CD40antibodies, preferably monoclonal antibodies.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

This invention can be more readily understood by reference to theaccompanying Figures, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of plasmid pIL-4 RE-SV40-LacZ. TheCD23 IL-4 responsive element is shown between restriction sites for XhoIand HindIII. The SV40 early promoter/enhancer is shown between twoHindIII sites as a hatched box. The β-galactosidase (LacZ) gene shownbetween HindIII and BamHI restriction sites is from plasmid pCH110, andthe plasmid backbone is from pBluescript II KS-.

FIG. 2 is a graphical representation of the induction of β-galactosidase(LacZ) activity by human IL-4 in 10 Jijoye clones stably transformedwith plasmids pIL-4 RE-SV40-LacZ and pRSVNEO. The clones were culturedin the presence of (from left to right within each set) 0, 0.2, 2.0 and20 ng/ml recombinant human IL-4. β-Galactosidase activity (FluorescentSignal Units) in lysates of the cells is shown as a function of IL-4concentration for each of the clones. The values for clone #8, too highto be shown, were 3878, 3745, 3796 and 3710 Fluorescent Signal Units,from left to right.

FIG. 3 is a graphical representation of the effects of human IL-4 on theinduction of β-galactosidase (LacZ) activity in Jijoye clone No. 4 (FIG.2) and untransformed Jijoye cells. The cells were cultured in thepresence of (from left to right within each set) 0, 0.0002, 0.002, 0.02,0.2 and 2 ng/ml recombinant human IL-4. β-galactosidase activity(Fluorescent Signal Units) in lysates of the cells is shown as afunction of IL-4 concentration.

FIG. 4 is a graphical representation of the effects of a neutralizinganti-IL-4 monoclonal antibody on the induction of β-galactosidasesynthesis by varying levels of human IL-4 in Jijoye clone No. 4 (FIG.2). Cell lysate β-galactosidase activity (Fluorescent Signal Units) isshown as a function of IL-4 concentration, both with (25D2) and without(None) the antibody. The cells were cultured in the presence of (fromleft to right within each set) 0, 0.02, 0.2, 2, 20 and 200 ng/mlrecombinant human IL-4.

FIG. 5 is a schematic representation of plasmid pGeLacZ.

FIG. 6 is a schematic representation of plasmid pGehGHcDNA.

FIG. 7 is a graphical representation of the induction of β-galactosidaseactivity by human IL-4 in a Jijoye clone (Clone 14) stably transformedwith plasmid pGeLacZ, both in the presence and absence of a monoclonalantibody (25D2) against human IL-4. The concentration of IL-4 (from leftto right within each data set) was 0, 0.02, 0.2, 2.0, 20 and 200 ng/ml.β-Galactosidase activity in Fluorescent Signal Units (FSU) in lysates ofthe cells is shown as a function of IL-4 concentration.

FIG. 8 is a graphical representation of the induction of human growthhormone synthesis by human IL-4 in two Jijoye clones (Clone 5 and Clone12) stably transformed with plasmid pGehGHcDNA, both in the presence andabsence of a monoclonal antibody (25D2) against human IL-4. Theconcentration of IL-4 (from left to right within each data set) was 0,0.02,0.2, 2.0, 20 and 200 ng/ml. Human growth hormone synthesis asdetermined by ELISA (O.D. 405 nm) is shown as a function of IL-4concentration.

FIG. 9 is a graphical representation of the induction after 48 hours ofβ-galactosidase (Lac Z) activity by human IL-4 (20 ng/ml) in Jijoyeclone 14 stably transformed with plasmid pGeLacZ, both in the presenceor absence of an anti-CD40 monoclonal antibody (1 μg/ml).β-Galactosidase activity in lysates of the cells is expressed inFluorescent Signal Units.

FIG. 10 is a graphical representation of the induction after 48 hours ofβ-galactosidase (Lac Z) activity by human IL-4 (5 ng/ml) in Jijoye clone14 stably transformed with plasmid pGeLacZ, both in the presence orabsence of an anti-CD40 monoclonal antibody (1 μg/ml) or an IL-4antagonist, designated hIL-4Y124D (500 ng/ml). β-Galactosidase activityin lysates of the cells is expressed in Fluorescent Signal Units.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

All references cited herein are hereby incorporated in their entirety byreference. All nucleic acid sequences disclosed follow the normal 5' to3' convention, as read from left to right. Standard single-letterabbreviations are used for the nucleotide bases in the sequences (37C.F.R. § 1.822).

As used herein, the term "agonist" is defined as a substance that, likehuman IL-4, stimulates (induces) expression of a gene operatively linkedto a human Fc.sub.ε RII IL-4 responsive element or a human germline εtranscript promoter. The term "antagonist" is defined as a substancethat blocks or inhibits such stimulatory activity by IL-4.

A "reporter gene" can be either a DNA molecule isolated from genomicDNA, which may or may not contain introns, or a complementary DNA (cDNA)prepared using messenger RNA as a template. In either case, the DNAencodes an expression product that is readily measurable, e.g., bybiological activity assay, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) orradioimmunoassay (RIA).

The term "Fc.sub.ε RII IL-4 responsive element" is defined herein tomean a part of the 5' region of the human Fc.sub.ε RII gene which, whenoperatively associated with a promoter, renders the promoter inducibleby human IL-4. As a result of such association, cells stably transformedby a recombinant vector comprising a reporter gene operatively linked toa promoter comprising the Fc.sub.ε RII IL-4 responsive element produceincreased levels of the reporter gene product in the presence of humanIL-4.

The term "germline ε transcript promoter" is defined herein to mean apart of the 5' region of the human germline ε transcript gene which,when operatively associated with a reporter gene, renders expression ofthe reporter gene inducible by human IL-4. As a result of suchassociation, cells stably transformed by a recombinant vector comprisinga reporter gene operatively linked to a germline ε transcript promoterproduce increased levels of the reporter gene product in the presence ofhuman IL-4.

Both the Fc.sub.ε RII IL-4 responsive element and the germline εtranscript promoter are regarded herein as "human IL-4-responsiveelements," or simply "responsive elements."

As used herein, human "IL-4" means a protein which (a) has an amino acidsequence substantially identical to the sequence of mature human IL-4disclosed in FIG. 1C of International Patent Application Publication No.WO 87/02990 and (b) has biological activity that is common to nativeIL-4. Substantial identity of amino acid sequences means that thesequence of another IL-4 compared to the sequence disclosed by thepublished patent application is identical or differs by one or moreamino acid alterations (deletions, additions, substitutions) that do notsubstantially impair biological activity.

Much of the human Fc.sub.ε RII gene nucleotide sequence is known seeFIG. 6 of Suter et al., Nuc. Acids Res. 15:7295 (1987); GenbankAccession No. X06049!. Relevant portions from the 5'-region of thissequence are defined in the Sequence Listing by SEQ ID NO: 1, whereinthe adenine residue at position 551 corresponds to the 5'-mosttranscription initiation site (+1) of the human Fc.sub.ε RII gene, andresidues 1 and 1127 correspond to bases -550 and +577, respectively, ofthe gene (FIG. 6, Suter et al., supra).

In SEQ ID NO: 1, bases 521-527 and 536-541 are functional TATA motifs,while bases 441-450 form a non-functional TATA-like sequence. Startsites of the mRNA are at positions 551 and 566. A CCAAT and a GC-richbox are at positions 415-419 and 820-830, respectively.

Detailed nucleotide sequence information for the human immunoglobulinswitch regions has been published by Mills et al. Nucleic Acids Res.18:7305 (1990)!. Relevant portions from this sequence are defined in theSequence Listing by SEQ ID NO: 2, wherein bases 1-587 correspond tobases 1-587 of the sequence shown in FIG. 4 of Mills et al.

As noted above, some of the responsive elements used in this inventioncomprise an Fc.sub.ε RII IL-4 responsive element operatively associatedwith a promoter. Although the promoter used can in principle be theFc.sub.ε RII gene promoter, in practice the choice of a promoter will bedictated by the host cell selected for transformation. For example,expression of an Fc.sub.ε RII IL-4 responsive element in associationwith the Fc.sub.ε RII gene promoter was not detectable following stabletransformation into Jijoye cells. Expression of such a promoter may,however, be detectable in other cell types.

Results obtained with a particular promoter construct, reporter gene andhost cell will be influenced by factors well known in the art such as,e.g., compatibility of the promoter and the reporter gene, and the hostcell background. Whether a given promoter is suitable for use in aparticular host cell can be determined by routine experimentation.

For use in Jijoye cells it is preferred that the Fc.sub.ε RIIIL-4-responsive element be associated with another promoter and/orenhancer element to form a hybrid promoter. For example, a hybridpromoter comprising the DNA segment from position -253 to -44 (bases 298to 507 of SEQ ID NO: 1) of the Fc.sub.ε RII gene upstream of thethymidine kinase core promoter which has been described by Suter et al.,supra, can be used in this invention.

The use of a hybrid promoter is desirable when it increases the signalstrength of the reporter gene used, while maintaining inducibility byhuman IL-4. Because it possesses these properties, a hybrid Fc.sub.ε RIIIL-4-responsive element/SV40 early promoter is especially preferred foruse in this invention in conjunction with an E. coli LacZ reporter gene.

The promoters used in this invention can be prepared by standard methodsbased upon the known nucleotide sequences of the promoter elements. Forexample, they can be chemically synthesized using the phosphoramiditesolid support method of Matteucci et al. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 103:3185(1981)!, the method of Yoo et al. J. Biol. Chem. 764:17078 (1989)!, orother well known methods.

Alternatively, since the sequences of the responsive elements and thesite specificities of the many available restriction endonucleases areknown, one skilled in the art can readily identify and isolate theelements from genomic DNA, vectors or other sources and cleave the DNAto obtain a desired sequence. The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) methodSaiki et al., Science 239:487 (1988)! can also be used to obtain thesame result, or to synthesize a complementary strand after the firststrand has been prepared by chemical synthesis. Primers used for PCR canalso be designed to introduce appropriate new restriction sites, tofacilitate incorporation into a given vector.

Any human cell line of myeloid or lymphoid lineage can be used as asource of genomic DNA from which the desired portions of the humanFc.sub.ε RII gene or germline ε transcript promoter can be obtained.Human genomic libraries can also be prepared from such cell lines bystandard methods if desired.

Of course, there may be allelic variants of the Fc.sub.ε RII IL-4responsive element or germline ε transcript promoter. Furthermore, it iswell within the skill of the art, e.g., by chemical synthesis or by theuse of modified PCR primers or site-directed mutagenesis to modify thegenomic DNA, to prepare various derivatives of the sequences defined bySEQ ID NO: 1 or SEQ ID NO: 2 in which there are single or multiple basesubstitutions which do not substantially impair the ability of thesequences to respond to IL-4 induction in essentially the same way asthe unmodified sequences. Such conservatively modified variants arewithin the scope of this invention.

The sequence defined by the sequence of bases 7 to 587 in SEQ ID NO: 2is a germline ε transcript promoter sequence that can be used to conferIL-4 inducibility on operatively-linked reporter genes. Those skilled inthe art will appreciate, however, that constructs for use in thisinvention may also contain fewer bases, and that they can also containadditional flanking bases from the germline ε transcript promoter geneor otherwise.

For example, in one embodiment in the Examples below, a plasmiddesignated 933-24 served as a source from which a useful germline εtranscript promoter was obtained by PCR. A resulting PCR product had anucleotide sequence defined by the sequence of bases 7 to 587 of SEQ IDNO: 2, flanked at the 5' and 3' ends by specific restriction sites, tofacilitate subsequent cloning. The flanking sequences were defined bythe oligonucleotide primers used.

In another embodiment, plasmid 933-24 was instead subjected torestriction endonuclease cleavage using HindIII and BclI. The resultingDNA fragment had a sequence defined by the sequence of bases 1 to 587 ofSEQ ID NO: 2, flanked at the 5' end by five bases between the HindIIIand BamHI sites that were from plasmid 933-24 but were not part of thegermline ε transcript promoter.

Insertion of the promoters and reporter genes into a vector is easilyaccomplished when the termini of both the DNAs containing such elementsand the vector comprise compatible restriction sites. If this is not thecase, it may be necessary to modify the termini of the DNAs and/orvector by digesting back single-stranded DNA overhangs generated byrestriction endonuclease cleavage to produce blunt ends, or to achievethe same result by filling in the single-stranded termini with anappropriate DNA polymerase.

Alternatively, any site desired may be produced by ligating nucleotidesequences (linkers) onto the termini. Such linkers may comprise specificoligonucleotide sequences that define desired restriction sites. Thecleaved vector and the DNA fragments may also be modified if required byhomopolymeric tailing.

The responsive elements can be inserted into many mammalian reportergene-containing vectors, including but not limited to plasmids pSV2Apap,pMAMneo-CAT, pMAMneo-LUC, pSVOCAT, pBCO, pBLCAT2, pBLCAT3, pON1, pCH110,p.O slashed.GH, pIL-4 RE-SV40-LacZ, pSP72 and various plasmids describedby De Wet et al., supra. Where a desired vector contains a differentpromoter, such promoter can be excised using standard methods andreplaced by a human IL-4-responsive element. Alternatively, theIL-4-responsive element can be placed in association with anotherpromoter to render it inducible by IL-4.

As used herein, the term "recombinant vector" includes both recombinantplasmids such as those mentioned above and recombinant retroviralvectors, which can also be engineered as described by Geller et al.Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 87:1149 (1990)! to contain a promoteroperatively linked to a reporter gene.

Any of the well-known reporter genes can be operatively linked to one ofthe responsive elements. Examples of suitable reporter genes include butare not limited to E. coli LacZ β-galactosidase; An et al., Mol. Cell.Biol. 2:1628 (1982)!, xanthine-guanine phosphoribosyl transferase Chu etal., Nucleic Acids Res. 13:2921 (1985)!, galactokinase Shumperli et al.,Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 79:257 (1982)!, interleukin-2 Cullen, Cell46:973 (1986)!, thymidine kinase Searle et al., Mol. Cell. Biol. 5:1480(1985)!, firefly luciferase De Wet et al., Mol. Cell. Biol. 7:725(1987)!, alkaline phosphatase Henthorn et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci.USA 85:6342 (1988)!, secreted placental alkaline phosphatase Berger etal., Gene 66:1 (1988)! and chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT)Gorman et al., Mol. Cell. Biol. 2:1044 (1982); Tsang et al., Proc. Natl.Acad. Sci. USA 85:8598 (1988)!.

A preferred reporter gene for use in conjunction with an Fc.sub.εRII/SV40 hybrid promoter used to illustrate the present invention belowis the E. coli LacZ gene. The expression level of this gene can bemeasured by a sensitive fluorescent substrate assay.

For use in Jijoye cells, it is preferred that the germline ε transcriptpromoter be operatively linked to an E. coli LacZ or a human growthhormone cDNA reporter gene, the use of both of which is exemplifiedbelow. The expression level of the LacZ gene can be measured by asensitive fluorescent substrate assay. Human growth hormone is secretedby human cell lines, thereby eliminating the need to disrupt cellsduring assay.

Plasmids containing the human growth hormone gene for use as such or asa source of mRNA for the production of human growth hormone cDNA areavailable commercially, e.g., from Nichols Institute Diagnostics, SanJuan Capistrano, Calif. One skilled in the art could instead alsoisolate the gene by standard methods from a human cell line such as theJAR cell line (ATCC HTB 144), preferably using PCR and primers basedupon the known nucleotide sequence of the gene Denoto et al., NucleicAcids Res. 9:3719 (1981)!.

Expression products of the reporter genes can be measured using standardmethods. For example, bioassays can be carried out for biologicallyactive proteins such as interleukin-2. Enzyme assays can be performedwhen the reporter gene product is an enzyme such as alkalinephosphatase. Alternatively, various types of immunoassays such ascompetitive immunoassays, direct immunoassays and indirect immunoassaysmay be used.

Such immunoassays involve the formation of immune complexes containingthe reporter gene product and and a measurable label. As used herein,the term "label" includes moieties that can be detected directly, suchas fluorochromes and radiolabels, and moieties such as enzymes that mustbe reacted or derivatized to be detected.

The particular label used will depend upon the type of immunoassay used.Examples of labels that can be used include, e.g., radiolabels such as³² P, ¹²⁵ I, ³ H and ¹⁴ C; fluorescent labels such as fluorescein andits derivatives, rhodamine and its derivatives, dansyl andumbelliferone; chemiluminescers such as the various luciferin compounds;and enzymes such as horseradish peroxidase, alkaline phosphatase,lysozyme and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase.

The antibody or reporter gene product, as the case may be, can be taggedwith such labels by known methods. For example, coupling agents such asaldehydes, carbodiimides, dimaleimide, imidates, succinimides,bisdiazotized benzadine and the like may be used to tag the antibodieswith fluorescent, chemiluminescent or enzyme labels.

In competitive immunoassays, samples from induced cultures (followingcell disruption if the reporter gene product is not secreted) areincubated with an antibody against the reporter gene product and a knownamount of labeled reporter gene product. Any unlabeled product producedby the cells competes with the labeled material for binding to theantibody. The resulting immune complexes are separated and the amount oflabeled complex is determined. The reporter gene product produced by thecells can be quantified by comparing observed measurements to resultsobtained from standard curves.

Direct immunoassays involve incubating culture samples with a labeledantibody against the reporter gene product and separating any immunecomplexes that form. The amount of label in the complexes is determinedand can be quantified by comparison to standard curves.

Enzyme-linked immunosorbant assays (ELISAs) can also be carried out bywell known methods, e.g., as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,665,018 toVold.

The above-mentioned recombinant vectors can be used to stably transformany human cell line that is capable of responding to human IL-4 byinduction of Fc.sub.ε RII or germline ε transcript gene expression. Manysuch cell lines are available including, e.g., lines of human Burkitt'slymphoma cells such as Jijoye (ATCC CCL 87), BJAB, BL2, BL30, BL49,BL70, Ramos (ATCC CRL 1596), Daudi (ATCC CCL 213) and Namalwa (ATCC CRL1432) cells; lines of human histiocytic lymphoma cells such as U937cells (ATCC CRL 1593); and EBV-transformed lymphoblastoid cell linessuch as RPMI 8866, IM 9, MO 14, BME and UD 30 cells.

Although cells used in the present invention could in principle betransiently transformed, stably-transformed cells are preferred. Stabletransformation of a human cell line can be accomplished by usingstandard methods to co-transfect the cells with one of theabove-mentioned recombinant vectors and with a second vector (such aspSV2neo or pRSVneo) which confers resistance to a selection agent suchas an antibiotic. Alternatively, transformation can be carried out witha single vector containing both the promoter/reporter gene construct andthe selection marker gene.

In the Example below, co-transfection was carried out using plasmidpRSVneo, one of a number of commercially available plasmids whichprovide a dominant selectable marker for resistance to antibiotic G418(neomycin) in mammalian cells.

In screening for IL-4 agonists, cells are provided which are transformedwith one of the recombinant vectors of the invention. The cells areplated in a number of culture dishes or in multi-well culture plates ina culture medium appropriate to the kind of cells used and thencontacted with samples suspected to contain an IL-4 agonist. Thesesamples can be, e.g., aqueous or water-miscible solutions in whichisolated compounds have been dissolved, or individual or pooledfractions from purification steps such as chromatography or preparativeelectrophoresis. Negative (sample buffer only) and positive (knownamounts of IL-4) controls are run in parallel.

After incubation of the cells for an induction period, the level ofexpression of the reporter gene produced by each sample is measured byan assay appropriate for the gene used. The optimal time for making themeasurement is determined by routine experimentation but will typicallybe in the range of about 24 to 72 hours. An IL-4 agonist in a samplewill be identified by measuring a level of reporter gene expression thatis higher than the unstimulated (buffer control) level.

Preferably, the level measured in the presence of an IL-4 agonist willbe at least about 10% above the unstimulated level. More preferably, thelevel of induction will be about double, and most preferably, about fouror five times the unstimulated level. The strength of an agonist thusidentified can be quantified by comparing the level measured with thelevels produced by serial dilutions of IL-4 having a known specificbiological activity.

In screening for IL-4 antagonists, transformed cells are plated asdescribed above and then contacted with a quantity of IL-4 determined byroutine experimentation to produce strong induction of reporter geneexpression, with and without samples suspected to contain an IL-4antagonist. After incubation of the cells for the induction period, thelevel of expression of the reporter gene is measured for each sample. AnIL-4 antagonist in a sample will be identified by measuring a decreasedlevel of reporter gene expression, compared to the level produced by theIL-4 alone.

Preferably, the level measured in the presence of an IL-4 antagonistwill be at least about 10% below the level produced by the IL-4 alone.More preferably, the level will be about one-fourth or one-fifth thelevel produced by IL-4 alone. Most preferably, the level will beessentially that produced by the complete absence of IL-4. Of course,the degree of reduction of reporter gene expression produced by a givenantagonist will be determined, e.g., by the strength of the antagonistand the amount of the antagonist in the sample, compared to the quantityof IL-4 used.

As is illustrated in an Example below, the sensitivity of the methodsemploying the human germline ε transcript promoter can be substantiallyenhanced by the addition of anti-CD40 antibodies during the screeningprocesses. One such antibody is a monoclonal antibody, designated mAb89, which has been described by Valle et al. Eur. J. Immunol. 19:1463(1989)!. Polyclonal antibodies and other monoclonal antibodies againstCD40 for use in this invention can be prepared by standard methods,although the use of monoclonal antibodies is preferred.

EXAMPLES

The present invention can be illustrated by the following, non-limitingexamples. Unless otherwise specified, percentages given below for solidsin solid mixtures, liquids in liquids, and solids in liquids are on awt/wt, vol/vol and wt/vol basis, respectively.

Materials

Restriction endonucleases were purchased from New England Biolabs,Beverly, Mass. ; T4 DNA ligase was from International Biotechnologies,Inc., New Haven, Conn.; and Thermus aquaticus (Taq) DNA polymerase wasobtained from Beckman Inc., Fullerton, Calif. Calf intestine alkalinephosphatase was supplied by Promega Corporation, Madison, Wis. Allenzymes were used in accordance with the manufacturers' instructions.The Sequenase version 2.0 sequencing system was obtained from UnitedStates Biochemical, Cleveland, Ohio.

Recombinant human IL-4 was prepared in a Chinese hamster ovary (CHO)expression system and purified by standard methods. This IL-4 had aspecific biological activity of about 10⁷ units/milligram, with a unitof activity defined as the amount of IL-4 that induces a half-maximalresponse in a cell proliferation assay Le et al., J. Biol. Chem.263:10817 (1988)!. Recombinant IL-4 that is adequate for use in thepresent invention can also be purchased, e.g., from Genzyme Corporation,Boston, Mass.

A neutralizing murine anti-human-IL-4 monoclonal antibody designated25D2 was prepared using standard methods. Neutralizing antibodiesagainst human IL-4 are also available commercially, e.g., from GenzymeCorporation.

A 232 bp oligonucleotide having a sequence defined in part in theSequence Listing by a subsequence of SEQ ID NO: 1 and syntheticoligonucleotide primers having nucleic acid sequences defined in theSequence Listing by SEQ ID NO: 3 (primer B1348), SEQ ID NO: 4 (primerB1356), SEQ ID NO: 5 (primer B1573), SEQ ID NO: 6 (primer B1574), SEQ IDNO: 7 (primer B2300), SEQ ID NO: 8 (primer B2301), SEQ ID NO: 9 (primerB2379) and SEQ ID NO: 10 (primer B2380) were synthesized by standardmethods using an Applied Biosystems Model 380B Synthesizer.

Cell Culture

The human Jijoye cell line (American Type Culture Collection, Rockville,Md.; ATCC CCL 87) used as host and G418-resistant derivative cell lineswere grown in RPMI 1640 medium (Hazelton or JRH Biosciences, Lenexa,Kans.) supplemented with 15% horse serum (donor herd, from Sigma, St.Louis, Mo.), 5% heat-inactivated fetal bovine serum (GIBCO/BRL,Rockville, Md.), 2 mM L-glutamine, 50 μg/ml Streptomycin and 100 IU/mlPenicillin (GIBCO/BRL). This medium is referred to as "normal growthmedium" below. The antibiotic G418 (GIBCO/BRL) was added to the mediumwhere indicated. Cells were cultured at 37° C. in a humidifiedatmosphere containing 5% CO₂.

Construction of Plasmid pIL-4 RE-SV40-LacZ

Standard recombinant DNA methods were carried out for all of theplasmids described below, essentially as described by Maniatis et al.,Molecular Cloning: A Laboratory Manual, 1982, Cold Spring HarborLaboratory.

A 232-base long oligonucleotide containing the 210 bp IL-4 responsiveelement from the 5'-flanking region of the Fc.sub.ε RII gene (Suter etal., supra) from position -253 to -44 (bases 298 to 507 in the sequencedefined by SEQ ID NO: 1) relative to the 5'-most transcriptioninitiation site, flanked at the 5' end by a XhoI restriction site (asshown in SEQ ID NO: 3) and at the 3' end by a HindIII site (as shown inSEQ ID NO: 4), was synthesized using an Applied Biosystem model 380Bnucleic acid synthesizer. The double-stranded DNA fragment was obtainedby PCR amplification of the synthetic long oligonucleotide usingoligonucleotide primers B1348 (SEQ ID NO: 3) and B1356 (SEQ ID NO: 4).

The PCR product was gel-purified, digested with XhoI and HindIII, andthen cloned into a pBluescript II KS- plasmid (Stratagene, La Jolla,Calif.). The correct sequence of the full-length IL-4 responsive elementwas verified by DNA sequencing.

Plasmid pCH110 (Pharmacia LKB Biotechnology Inc., Piscataway, N.J.)containing the SV40 early promoter/enhancer and β-galactosidase (LacZ)was used as the source of the β-galactosidase reporter gene and SV40early promoter/enhancer. Plasmid pCH110 was digested with HindIII andBamHI, and a resulting 3.85 kb DNA fragment containing theβ-galactosidase gene was gel-purified and ligated into plasmidpBluescript II KS-, which had been digested with HindIII and BamHI. Theresulting plasmid was designated pLacZ.

The pBluescript II KS- plasmid containing the IL-4 responsive elementdescribed above was digested with XhoI and HindIII, and the IL-4responsive element DNA fragment was gel-purified and subcloned intoplasmid pLacZ which had been digested with XhoI and HindIII. Theresulting plasmid containing both the IL-4 responsive element and theLacZ gene was designated pIL-4 RE-LacZ.

A DNA fragment containing the SV40 early promoter/enhancer was obtainedby PCR using plasmid pCH110 as the DNA template and oligonucleotideprimers B1573 (SEQ ID NO: 5) and B1574 (SEQ ID NO: 6). These primerscontain incorporated HindIII restriction sites to facilitate cloninginto plasmid pIL-4 RE-LacZ.

The 355 bp PCR DNA product was gel-purified and digested with HindIII.Plasmid pIL-4 RE-LacZ was also digested with HindIII and thendephosphorylated by calf intestine alkaline phosphatase, after which thePCR fragment was ligated into the plasmid to produce plasmid pIL-4RE-SV40-LacZ (FIG. 1).

Construction of Plasmid pGeLacZ

The germline ε transcript promoter was obtained by PCR using plasmid933-24 (ATCC 75223) as the template and oligonucleotide primersdesignated B2300 (SEQ ID NO: 7) and B2301 (SEQ ID NO: 8), whichincorporate XhoI and HindIII restriction sites, respectively.

The 599 bp PCR DNA product was digested with XhoI and HindIII andgel-purified. Plasmid pIL-4 RE-SV40-LacZ was also digested with XhoI andHindIII, to excise the IL-4-responsive element and the SV40 earlypromoter/enhancer. The digested, purified PCR DNA product was thenligated into the cleaved plasmid, to produce a plasmid designatedpGeLacZ, in which the LacZ reporter gene was operatively linked to thegermline ε transcript promoter. A restriction map of pGeLacZ is shown inFIG. 5.

Construction of Plasmid pGehGHcDNA

A recombinant plasmid capable of directing expression of the humangrowth hormone gene was used to stably transform human Jijoye cells(ATCC CCL 87) by co-transfection with plasmid pRSVneo (ATCC 37198),essentially as described below. A clone manifesting high-level,constitutive production of human growth hormone was identified by ELISAand used as a source of poly (A)+ mRNA template for cDNA synthesis andPCR amplification.

The poly (A)+ mRNA produced by the clone was isolated by standardmethods, using a commercial mRNA purification kit (QUICKPREP® mRNAPurification Kit, Pharmacia, Piscataway. N.J.) following themanufacturer's instructions.

Briefly, 5×10⁷ human Jijoye cells expressing human growth hormone werepelleted by centrifugation, and 1.5 ml of Extraction Buffer (QUICKPREP®mRNA purification kit, Pharmacia, Piscataway, N.J.) were added to thepelleted cells after removal of the supernatant fluid. The cells weredisrupted by vigorous vortex mixing, and 3 ml of Elution Buffer 10 mMTris-HCl, 1 mM ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA),pH 7.4! were addedto the extract and mixed thoroughly. The diluted extract was centrifugedat 1000×g for 5 minutes at room temperature.

Four milliliters of the supernatant fluid were transferred to an oligo(dT)-cellulose spun column, gently mixed with the resin by inverting thecolumn, and centrifuged at 350×g for 2 minutes. The supernatant fluidwas discarded, and the resin was washed three times with 3 ml of HighSalt Buffer (10 mM Tris-HCl, 1 mM EDTA, 0.5 M NaCl, pH 7.4), and thenwashed twice with 3 ml of Low Salt Buffer (10 mM Tris-HCl, 1 mM EDTA,0.1 M NaCl, pH 7.4).

The bound poly (A)+ RNA was eluted using four successive washes with0.25 ml of Elution Buffer pre-warmed to 65° C., after which the elutedmRNA was precipitated by adding 100 μl of 2.5 M potassium acetatesolution, pH 5.0; 20 μl of 10 mg/ml glycogen in DEPC-treated (diethylpyrocarbonate-treated) water and 2 ml of 95% ethanol (chilled to -20°C.). The precipitated mRNA was then resuspended in 20 μl of ElutionBuffer.

An aliquot of the mRNA was then subjected to cDNA first-strand synthesisusing Molony murine leukemia virus RNaseH⁻ reverse transcriptase (M-MLVH⁻ RT Superscript!, GIBCO/BRL), following the manufacturer'sinstructions.

Briefly, 4 μl of the isolated mRNA were mixed with 50 pmole of a 3' endprimer (primer B2380; SEQ ID NO: 10), and distilled water was added to afinal volume of 12 μl. The mixture was heated to 70° C. for 10 minutesand then quickly chilled on ice. The contents of the tube were collectedby brief centrifugation, and 4 μl of 5× Reaction Buffer (1× reactionbuffer contains 50 mM Tris-HCl, 75 mM KCl, 3 mM MgCl₂, pH 8.3), 2 μl of0.1 M dithiothreitol (DTT) and 1 μl of mixed dNTP stock (10 mM each ofdATP, dGTP, dCTP and dTTP at neutral pH) were added to the tube. Thesolution was mixed by gentle vortexing, collected by briefcentrifugation, and placed at 37° C. for 2 minutes to equilibrate thesolution at that temperature. Finally, 1 μl (200 units) of M-MLV H⁻ RTwas added, mixed gently and incubated at 37° C. for 1 hour.

An aliquot of the reverse transcriptase reaction mixture was then usedan the template for PCR, using the 3' end primer B2380 and a specific 5'end primer B2379 (SEQ ID NO: 9), which incorporate EcoRI and BamHIrestriction sites, respectively, to facilitate cloning. An 844 bp PCRproduct containing authentic human growth hormone (hGH) cDNA wasdigested with BamHI and EcoRI and then gel-purified. After subcloninginto cloning vector pSP72 (Promega, Madison, Wis.), the hGH cDNA wasverified both by restriction analysis and partial DNA sequencing.

The germline ε transcript promoter was obtained by digesting plasmid933-24 with HindIII and BclI. An approximately 600 bp DNA fragmentcontaining the promoter was gel-purified and then ligated together withthe above-mentioned BamHI/EcoRI hGH cDNA fragment into cloning vectorpSP72 which had previously been cleaved with HindIII and EcoRI. Theresulting plasmid, containing the human growth hormone cDNA reportergene operatively linked to the germline ε transcript promoter, wasdesignated pGehGHcDNA. A restriction map of this plasmid is shown inFIG. 6.

Cell Transformation

Human Jijoye cells (ATCC CCL 87) were freshly split 16 to 24 hoursbefore transformation by electroporation and seeded at a density of5×10⁵ cell/ml. The following day, the cells were collected bycentrifugation (1,000 rpm, 3-5 min.), counted and resuspended in normalgrowth medium at a density of 2×10⁷ cell/ml. Jijoye cells (5×10⁶) in 250μl of the medium were placed into a disposable electrophoretic cuvette(4 mm) and preincubated with 5 μg of plasmid pIL-4 RE-SV40-LacZ and 0.5μg of pRSVneo (ATCC 37198), or with 10 μg of plasmid pGeLacZ orpGehGHcDNA and 1 μg of pRSVneo, at room temperature for 10 minutes. Thecells were then subjected to a voltage pulse of 200 V at a capacitanceof 960 μF using a Gene Pulser apparatus with capacitance extender(BioRad, Rockville Center, N.Y.).

Following a recovery period of another 10 minutes at room temperature,the Jijoye cells were gently dispersed in 10 ml of normal growth mediumin a 25 cm² flask. Forty-eight hours post-electroporation, the cellswere centrifuged as described above and resuspended in 40 or 80 ml ofnormal growth medium containing 1 mg/ml G418. About 1.2 or 2.5×10⁴ cellsper 200 μl per well were seeded into 96-well plates and placed underG418 selection. The wells containing individual G418-resistant cloneswere picked and expanded into 24-well plates, and subsequently into 25cm² flasks for screening using a β-galactosidase assay or a human growthhormone ELISA assay.

β-Galactosidase Assay

The stably transformed Jijoye cells were assayed for β-galactosidaseactivity using a modification of the method of Norton et al. Mol. Cell.Biol. 5:281 (1985)!. This assay employed the fluorescent substrate4-methylumbelliferyl-β-galactoside (MUG reagent; Sigma Chemical Co., St.Louis, Mo.) as described by Geballe et al. Cell 46:865 (1986)!.

Briefly, after expanding individual G418-resistant stable clones, equalnumbers of cells from each stable clone were seeded into 24-wellmicrotiter dishes (about 4.2×10⁵ cells in a total volume of 1.4 ml/well)with different concentrations of the recombinant human IL-4. After 48-72hours of incubation at 37° C., the cells from each well were transferredinto a 1.5 ml Eppendorf tube and sedimented in a microcentrifuge at10,000 rpm for 1 minute. After removing the supernatant fluid, the cellpellets were suspended in 1 ml of phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) andcentrifuged again as described above.

After discarding the supernatant fluid, the cell pellets wereresuspended in PBS (100-300 μl, depending the size of the cell pellet)using a vortex mixer. Equal volumes of 0.2% sodium dodecylsulfate (SDS)in PBS were added to the suspensions to lyse the cells by vigorousvortexing, after which 40 μl aliquots of the cell lysates were pipettedinto the wells of a 96-well Falcon plate. One-hundred-sixty microliteraliquots of Z buffer (60 mM Na₂ HPO₄, 40 mM NaH₂ PO₄, 10 mM KCl, 1 mMMgSO₄ and 50 mM β-mercaptoethanol; final pH 7.0) containing 60 μMfreshly prepared MUG reagent were added to each well.

The plate was gently shaken and incubated at 37° C. After a period ofincubation (4 hours unless otherwise indicated), the plate was measuredon a MICRO-FLUOR® reader (DYNATECH, Chantilly, Va.) and theβ-galactosidase activity, expressed in fluorescent signal units asdefined by the manufacturer, was determined after subtracting backgroundmeasurements made in control wells containing MUG reagent but bufferinstead of cell lysate.

Human Growth Hormone ELISA Assay

The supernatants of stably transformed Jijoye cells producing humangrowth hormone were subjected to ELISA analysis using a flat-bottomedNunc immuno-plate which was prepared as follows. Each well of the platewas coated with 100 μl of sheep anti-hGH (1:2,000, from BIODESIGNInternational) in 50 mM carbonate/bicarbonate buffer (pH 9.5) one dayprior to assay. The plates were sealed and incubated overnight at 4° C.

The plates were then incubated for 90 minutes at room temperature with250 μl/well of BLOTTO® 5% non-fat dry milk with 0.05% TWEEN 20®(polyoxyethylenesorbitan monolaurate) in Dulbecco's phosphate bufferedsaline (DPBS)! to saturate protein binding sites. Following theincubation, the plates were washed three times with 150 μl aliquots ofWash Buffer (10 mM potassium phosphate, 0.05% TWEEN 20®, pH 7.4).

After expanding individual G418-resistant stable Jijoye clones producinghuman growth hormone, equal numbers of cells from each stable clone wereseeded into 96-well microtiter dishes (about 1.25×10⁵ cells in a totalvolume of 250 μl/well) with different concentrations of the recombinanthuman IL-4. After 72 hours of incubation at 37° C., 100 μl aliquots ofthe culture media in the wells were transferred to the preparedimmuno-plate wells (after removal of the last wash solution), and theplate was incubated for 90 minutes at room temperature.

Following the incubation the plate was washed three times with WashBuffer as before, after which the last aliquots of wash solution werereplaced with 100 μl aliquots of rabbit anti-hGH antiserum (1:1,000) inAssay Buffer 0.25% BSA, 0.05% TWEEN 20® and 1% sheep serum (Sigma) inDPBS! and the plate was incubated for 90 minutes at room temperature.After washing the plate 3 times as before, 100 μl aliquots ofperoxidase-conjugated goat anti-rabbit IgG (1:10,000 in Assay Buffer;Boehringer Mannheim) were added to each well, and incubation wascontinued for 60 minutes at room temperature.

After washing the wells 3 times as before, color reaction was initiatedby adding to each well 100 μl of ABTS (2,2'-Azino-di-3-ethylbenzthiazoline sulfonate! substrate solution (1 mg/ml ABTS inABTS buffer; Boehringer Mannheim) and incubating the plate for 25minutes at room temperature. Color development was then measured with anELISA plate reader at 405 nm.

Characterization of Transformants

Ten stably-transformed clones transfected with plasmid pIL-4RE-SV40-LacZ were analyzed for β-galactosidase activity afterstimulation by recombinant human IL-4 as described above, with theresults shown in FIG. 2. The data in FIG. 2 were obtained using (fromleft to right for each clone) 0, 0.2, 2.0 and 20 ng/ml recombinant humanIL-4.

As shown in FIG. 2, only clone No. 4 (designated clone J4) responded tothe IL-4 by producing increased levels of β-galactosidase activity. Allof the other clones showed constitutive expression of the LacZ gene atvarious levels that was unaffected by IL-4.

To further characterize clone J4, a β-galactosidase assay was carriedout on the clone and on untransformed (control) Jijoye cells followingstimulation by lower levels of the recombinant IL-4, as described above.The results are shown in FIG. 3, where the data were obtained using(from left to right within each data set) 0, 0.0002, 0.002, 0.02, 0.2and 2 ng/ml recombinant human IL-4.

As shown in FIG. 3, the control cells produced a low level ofβ-galactosidase activity that was unaffected by the presence of IL-4. Incontrast, clone J4 responded to increasing levels of IL-4 with theinduction of increasing levels of β-galactosidase activity in adose-dependent fashion, with a five-fold maximal induction. Optimalinduction was observed at an IL-4 concentration of 0.2-2.0 ng/ml. Thisis comparable to the amount of human IL-4 required for optimal inductionof endogenous CD23 in Jijoye cells as determined by fluorescenceanalysis.

Detection of IL-4 Antagonists

To demonstrate the effect of an IL-4 antagonist on the induction ofβ-galactosidase activity in clone J4 by IL-4, cells of the clone wereincubated as described above with various quantities of recombinanthuman IL-4 with and without 175 ng/ml of neutralizing anti-human IL-4monoclonal antibody 25D2. The results are shown in FIG. 4, where thedata were obtained using (from left to right within each set) 0, 0.02,0.2, 2, 20 and 200 ng/ml recombinant human IL-4. As shown in FIG. 4,antibody 25D2 completely blocked the induction of the β-galactosidaseproduction by human IL-4 in clone J4.

A number of Jijoye clones stably transformed with plasmid pGeLacZ wereanalyzed for β-galactosidase activity after stimulation by recombinanthuman IL-4 as described above. One representative clone designated clone14 was selected for use in a human IL-4 antagonist screen, with theresults shown in FIG. 7.

The data in FIG. 7 were obtained using (from left to right within eachdata set) 0, 0.02, 0.2, 2.0, 20 and 200 ng/ml recombinant human IL-4 asdescribed above, with and without 7.5 μl of a concentrated monoclonalantibody 25D2 supernatant containing 35 ng/μl IgG protein. Data werealso obtained using untransformed Jijoye cells, with and without theantibody.

As shown in FIG. 7, where the data represent the average of duplicatesample- points following a 1-hour incubation, clone 14 responded to theIL-4 in an essentially concentration-dependent manner, producingincreased levels of β-galactosidase activity. In the presence ofantibody 25D2, the observed production of β-galactosidase activity wasreduced to the background (uninduced) level. As expected, induction byIL-4 of β-galactosidase activity was not observed in the untransformedJijoye cells, whether the antibody was present or not.

A number of Jijoye clones stably transformed with plasmid pGehGHcDNAwere analyzed by ELISA for growth hormone production followingstimulation by recombinant human IL-4 as described above. Tworepresentative clones designated clones 5 and 12 were selected for usein a human IL-4 antagonist screen, with the results shown in FIG. 8.

The data in FIG. 8 were obtained using (from left to right within eachdata set) 0, 0.02, 0.2, 2, 20 and 200 ng/ml recombinant human IL-4 asdescribed above, with and without 2.5 μl of the concentrated monoclonalantibody 25D2 supernatant containing 35 ng/μl IgG protein.

As shown in FIG. 8, both clones responded to increasing IL-4concentrations by producing increased levels of human growth hormone. Inthe presense of antibody 25D2, the observed production of growth hormonewas reduced to the background level.

Enhancement by Anti-CD40 Antibodies

To demonstrate the effect of an anti-CD40 antibody on the sensitivity ofmethods employing a human germline ε transcript promoter, Jijoye clone14 cells stably transformed with plasmid pGeLacZ were induced using 20ng/ml recombinant IL-4 as described above, both in the presence andabsence of mAb 89 (Valle, supra) at a concentration of 1 μg/ml. Afterincubation for 48 hours, β-galactosidase activity was measured, with theresults shown in FIG. 9.

As is evident from FIG. 9, the presence of mAb 89 (CD40 mAb) in theincubation mixture produced a marked increase in the induction ofβ-galactosidase activity (Fluorescence Units) by IL-4. The antibodyalone, however, produced a low level of activity that was comparable tothat of the control.

This enhancement by the antibody was further demonstrated during a humanIL-4 antagonist screening assay carried out as described above, in whicha human IL-4 mutant protein designated hIL-4Y124D was used as theantagonist. This mutant protein, in which the tyrosine residue atposition 124 was replaced by an aspartic acid residue by standardprocedures as described by Kruse et al. EMBO J. 11:3237 (1991)! andZurawski et al. EMBO J., in press!, binds with high affinity to the IL-4receptor but fails to activate the receptor. Therefore this protein,functions as a potent antagonist of IL-4.

The assay was carried out using the Jijoye clone 14 cells describedabove and 5 ng/ml IL-4, with or without 1 μg/ml mAb 89 and/or 500 ng/mlmutant protein hIL-4Y124D. Incubation was carried out for 48 hours,after which β-galactosidase activity was measured as described above.

The results are shown in FIG. 10, where it can be seen that thecombination of IL-4 and mAb 89 (CD40 mAb) again produced a much higherlevel of β-galactosidase activity (Fluorescence Units) than did IL-4alone. It can also be seen that the mutant protein hIL-4Y124D alone wascompletely inactive, and that the activity produced by IL-4 was almostcompletely abolished in the presence of the mutant protein.

This observation shows that this screening system can be used to detectnot only antibody antagonists of IL-4, but antagonists that act at thereceptor level as well. Therefore, this screening system has broadutility.

Deposits

Cells from Jijoye clone No. 4 stably transformed with plasmid pIL-4RE-SV40-LacZ were deposited Sep. 19, 1991 with the American Type CultureCollection (ATCC), Rockville, Md., and assigned Accession No. ATCC CRL10873. Plasmid 933-24 was deposited Mar. 24, 1992 with the ATCC andassigned Accession No. ATCC 75223. Both deposits were made under theprovisions of the Budapest Treaty on the International Recognition ofthe Deposit of Microorganisms for the Purposes of Patent Procedures.

Many modifications and variations of this invention can be made withoutdeparting from its spirit and scope, as will become apparent to thoseskilled in the art. The specific embodiments described herein areoffered by way of example only, and the invention is to be limited onlyby the terms of the appended claims.

    __________________________________________________________________________    #             SEQUENCE LISTING    - (1) GENERAL INFORMATION:    -    (iii) NUMBER OF SEQUENCES:   10    - (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO: 1:    -      (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:    #base pairsA) LENGTH:   1127    #acid     (B) TYPE:   nucleic    #double   (C) STRANDEDNESS:              (D) TOPOLOGY:   line - #ar    #1:   (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:    #               50CCGCT TCCCTCCTTC CCTCCTACTC CTCCTTCTCC    #              100TCTTT TTTTTCCCCT TCCTCTGCCT CTCTCTCCTC    #              150CTGGG ACTCAAACCT GGGACATTTG ACCTGGGAGC    #              200TCAAG AGACATAATC TCATGGTGGG GTGTCTGCTG    #              250CAGGA TCCCAACTCC AGGCCGTCCT TCTAACCCAA    #              300CCTAG AGCCTTCCGT GGCTCCCCAG GGCCCTCTGT    #              350TATGA TTCAGTGTGC AGTAACAGTG GTTCACATCT    #              400CCTCC TTCAGCCCTG TGGGAACTTG CTGCTTAACA    #              450CAATT CTCTTACCTG AGAAATGGAG ATAATAATAA    #              500GTGTG GGGAGCACCA GGAGAGGCCA TGCGTGTAAT    #              550AGCCC ATATTTAGGT CTATGAAAAT AGAAGCTGTC    #              600AGAAG AAAGTGTCTC TCTTCCTGCT TAAACCTCTG    #              650GCCAA TCGCTCTGGT CGACCCCAAC ACACTAGGAG    #              700CAAAC TCCACTAAGT GAGTACGTAT CTGGTGTGTT    #              750GGCAG TGGAGATCAA AGCGCCCTTG GAAGAAACGA    #              800CAAGG GATGACCAGC AGGAGGTCAC AACCAGAGAA    #              850GTGAG GGGGCGGGGG TGGGGGCCGC AGTGTGGACA    #              900CGAGT CCCTGATTTG GGGAAGTGAA AGCAGGCCAT    #              950CTTGG TGAGTGCGCT GGGCCGATCA TAGAGGGCCC    #             1000GACTC TAGGCAGAGG CAGGACCTCT TGGGTTAGAA    #             1050GGGAT CCTGCCACCC AGCACTTACC AGTAGACACC    #             1100GTCTC CAGATGATTG AGCAAATGGG CTCCCAGCTC    #            1127  AGTT CAGTCCC    - (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO: 2:    -      (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:    #base pairsA) LENGTH:   587    #acid     (B) TYPE:   nucleic    #double   (C) STRANDEDNESS:              (D) TOPOLOGY:   line - #ar    #2:   (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:    #              50AGGACA GTGACCTGGG AGTGAGTACA AGGTGAGGCC    #             100CAGCTC CAAGCGGGTC ACAGGGACGA GGGCTGCGGC    #             150GCACAC ACATCTGGGA CACGCGCCCC GAGGGCCAGT    #             200CTCATT CTCCTGCACA AAAGCGCCCC CATCCTTTCT    #             250TGGAAG CAGAGGCGTC GATGCCCAGT ACCCTCTCCC    #             300GGACCC CAAGTTTGCT GACTGGGACC ACCAAGCCAC    #             350TAGAGT CCGGGACCTA GGCAGGGGCC CTGGCGTTGG    #             400AGAACC TCCCCAGCAC TCGGTGTGCA TCGGTAGTGA    #             450ACCCCC GCTGTTGCTC AATCGACTTC CCAAGAACAG    #             500TTCCAG GGCGGCCCGG GCCTCCTGGG GTTCCCACCC    #             550AGCACT GAGGCAGAGC TCCCCCTACC CAGGCTCCAC    #     587          AACA ACCACGGTTA CTGATCA    - (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO: 3:    -      (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:    #base pairsA) LENGTH:   28    #acid     (B) TYPE:   nucleic    #single   (C) STRANDEDNESS:              (D) TOPOLOGY:   line - #ar    #3:   (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:    #             28   GTGA TCGGCCAT    - (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO: 4:    -      (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:    #base pairsA) LENGTH:   39    #acid     (B) TYPE:   nucleic    #single   (C) STRANDEDNESS:              (D) TOPOLOGY:   line - #ar    #4:   (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:    #    39            TCGA CCCCGGGATA ACATTACAC    - (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO: 5:    -      (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:    #base pairsA) LENGTH:   38    #acid     (B) TYPE:   nucleic    #single   (C) STRANDEDNESS:              (D) TOPOLOGY:   line - #ar    #5:   (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:    #     38           AGCT GTGGAATGTG TGTCAGTT    - (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO: 6:    -      (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:    #base pairsA) LENGTH:   32    #acid     (B) TYPE:   nucleic    #single   (C) STRANDEDNESS:              (D) TOPOLOGY:   line - #ar    #6:   (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:    #          32      TTGC AAAAGCCTAG GC    - (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO: 7:    -      (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:    #base pairsA) LENGTH:   30    #acid     (B) TYPE:   nucleic    #single   (C) STRANDEDNESS:              (D) TOPOLOGY:   line - #ar    #7:   (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:    #           30     CAGG ACAGTGACCT    - (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO: 8:    -      (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:    #base pairsA) LENGTH:   29    #acid     (B) TYPE:   nucleic    #single   (C) STRANDEDNESS:              (D) TOPOLOGY:   line - #ar    #8:   (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:    #            29    TAAC CGTGGTTGT    - (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO: 9:    -      (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:    #base pairsA) LENGTH:   24    #acid     (B) TYPE:   nucleic    #single   (C) STRANDEDNESS:              (D) TOPOLOGY:   line - #ar    #9:   (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:    #                24CAAC TCCC    - (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO: 10:    -      (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:    #base pairsA) LENGTH:   51    #acid     (B) TYPE:   nucleic    #single   (C) STRANDEDNESS:              (D) TOPOLOGY:   line - #ar    #10:  (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:    #               50ACAAA ATGATGCAAC TTAATTTTAT TAGGACAAGG    #                51    __________________________________________________________________________

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for identifying a compound in a sampleas a human IL-4 agonist comprising:(a) providing a cell line expressingreceptors for human IL-4, which cell line has been stably transfected bya recombinant vector comprising a reporter gene operatively linked to ahuman Fc.sub.ε RII IL-4 responsive element comprising nucleotides298-507 of SEQ ID NO: 1, or to a germline ε transcript promotercomprising nucleotides 7-587 of SEQ ID NO: 2, which responsive elementor promoter is capable of controlling expression of the reporter gene inresponse to IL-4; (b) contacting the transfected cell line with a samplesuspected to contain a human IL-4 agonist, under conditions in whichhuman IL-4 would cause increased expression of the reporter gene; and(c) measuring the level of expression of the reporter gene,whereby ahuman IL-4 agonist in the sample is identified by measurement of anincreased level of expression of the reporter gene, compared to thelevel produced by a buffer control.
 2. The method of claim 1 in whichthe responsive element has a nucleotide sequence defined by asubsequence of the sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1, which subsequence isdelimited at the 5' end by one of bases 1 to 298 and at the 3' end byone of bases 507 to 678 of the sequence defined by SEQ ID NO:
 1. 3. Themethod of claim 2 in which the responsive element has a nucleotidesequence defined by the sequence of bases 298 to 507 of SEQ ID NO:
 1. 4.The method of claim 1 in which the cell line is a Jijoye cell line. 5.The method of claim 4 in which the reporter gene is an E. coli LacZ geneor a human growth hormone cDNA.
 6. The method of claim 4 in which thehuman Fc.sub.ε RII IL-4-responsive element is operatively associatedwith an SV40 early promoter.
 7. The method of claim 4 in which the cellline has been transformed by plasmid pIL-4 RE-SV40-LacZ, pGeLacZ orpGehGHcDNA.
 8. The method of claim 1 in which the responsive element isa human germline ε transcript promoter and the sample of step (b)further contains anti-CD40 antibodies.
 9. The method of claim 1 in whichthe responsive element has a nucleotide sequence defined by (a) thesequence of SEQ ID NO: 1, or by (b) the sequence of SEQ ID NO:
 2. 10. Amethod for identifying a compound in a sample as a human IL-4 antagonistcomprising:(a) providing a cell line expressing receptors for humanIL-4, which cell line has been stably transfected by a recombinantvector comprising a reporter gene operatively linked to a human Fc.sub.εRII IL-4 responsive element comprising nucleotides 298-507 of SEQ ID NO:1, or to a germline ε transcript promoter comprising nucleotides 7-587of SEQ ID NO: 2, which responsive element or promoter is capable ofcontrolling expression of the reporter gene in response to IL-4; (b)contacting the transfected cell line with a sample suspected to containa human IL-4 antagonist, to which has been added an amount of human IL-4that, absent such antagonist, would produce a measurable increase inexpression of the reporter gene; and (c) measuring the level ofexpression of the reporter gene,whereby a human IL-4 antagonist in thesample is identified by measurement of a decreased level of expressionof the reporter gene, compared to the level produced by the human IL-4in the absence of such antagonist.
 11. The method of claim 10 in whichthe responsive element has a nucleotide sequence defined by asubsequence of the sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1, which subsequence isdelimited at the 5' end by one of bases 1 to 298 and at the 3' end byone of bases 507 to 678 of the sequence defined by SEQ ID NO:
 1. 12. Themethod of claim 11 in which the responsive element has a nucleotidesequence defined by the sequence of bases 298 to 507 of SEQ ID NO: 1.13. The method of claim 10 in which the cell line is a Jijoye cell line.14. The method of claim 13 in which the reporter gene is an E. coli LacZgene or a human growth hormone cDNA.
 15. The method of claim 13 in whichthe human Fc.sub.ε RII IL-4-responsive element is operatively associatedwith an SV40 early promoter.
 16. The method of claim 13 in which thecell line has been transfected by plasmid pIL-4 RE-SV40-LacZ, pGeLacZ orpGehGHcDNA.
 17. The method of claim 10 in which the responsive elementis a human germline ε transcript promoter and the sample of step (b)further contains anti-CD40 antibodies.
 18. The method of claim 10 inwhich the responsive element has a nucleotide sequence defined by (a)the sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1, or by (b) the sequence of SEQ ID NO: 2.